BBC article about fuel poverty...

Interesting article by the BBC (Panorama) which says it is about 'fuel poverty'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35834733

Quote "Their entire home is poorly insulated and so it takes a few hours for it to warm up."

This isn't fuel poverty, it is insulation poverty.

Something that if the government put energy saving first, before their support for fossil fuel companies, the result would be a greater cut in carbon emissions and families like the one in the article would have lower fuel bills and far fewer mould problems.

However at the same time one has to question the family and the article.

Quote "However, cold houses are often damp houses. Every room in the family's home has damp but Ava's room is the worst. Mould grows along her window..."

Actually the cold doesn't cause mould as such, mould is often caused by cooking and heating resulting in an increase in water vapour in the air which condenses on the cold surfaces, creating breeding spots for mould.

A lot of people these days do not understand how the process works and why ventilation is important.
A small amount of ventilation and making sure that furniture does not create cold spots can help to control the issue. It doesn't help that walls are not insulated and the mother in the article is doing the right thing by using the bleach.

But it is important to becareful when cooking, lids on pots reduces water vapour escaping, plus switching on a ventilation fan or opening a window a small amount allows the vapour to escape.

My bathroom can be very cold (no heating there) but I can control the mould be being aware of how much water vapour is likely to be created by my activities and turning on the fan and possibly opening a window for a short time.

Basically water vapour is the culprit and that is caused by human activities. But poorly insulated walls resulting in rapid heat loss probably results in the homes occupants being reluctant to open a window even a little bit, so poor insulation is probably determining their behaviour and the ultimate outcome.

BTW in the article the girl is worried about the mould causing the roof to fall in. She should be more worried by the effect the mould spores have on her lungs. I suspect she often has a cough!

Quote "In winter, I get really poorly and I'm up all night coughing."

I suspect the cough is worse as a result of the mould or totally caused by it.

So when is this government going to take home insulation seriously along with climate change?